The Week in Tech: Mars by 2024, and reusable rockets

Posted by Ashleigh Brown on 29 September 2017

Space, the final frontier. Well, depending on who you talk to, of course. But it is definitely up there (pun fully intended) on the hot topics list, no thanks to some of the great innovations and technological advancements happening of late. If you haven’t heard of Elon Musk and his reusable rockets then welcome to the future of space travel.

Instead of having to build a new rocket every time someone wants to go into space, they can now just jump into the same old one they used the first time. This is effectively cutting the costs of the whole market. But also has wider opportunities for space expeditions.

The International Astronautical Congress is the world’s largest space conference bringing together leaders in space from across the globe. The hot topic this year was Musk’s grand plans of colonising Mars, with Lockheed Martin hot on their heels. But the European Space Agency (ESA) has said that the best way to get to Mars is with a pitstop on the moon. ESA is planning a series of missions to the moon over the next 10 years.

Now that Musk has reusable rockets under his belt, his plan to send thousands of people to Mars is heating up. He will be giving an update soon on how he will actually get people to Mars, and where the money is going to come from to set up a colony there. Musk said SpaceX could start sending the first colonists to Mars as early as 2024 – someone call Matt Damon, we might need a guide!

To help everyone get ready with that reality, Dubai is building a super-dome that will mimic what ‘life’ on Mars will be like. This will be a place for scientists and engineers to test theories, build things and make sure everything is great for the rest of us. The UAE is looking to build a colony on Mars by 2117, and the Mars Scientific City is the first step in a long project to get there.

A big thanks to Leo Cosendai from Third Ear for bringing sound meditation & modern mindfulness to our office today. All the Octopedes who attended had an amazing experience. #WellnessDay https://t.co/Ic3mhGFw3W